Senator Dianne Feinstein has suggested the government should pass in-game gun restrictions if the game industry doesn't self-regulate.

Late last year, the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut shook the country to its core. It's an event that spurred new debates on the issues of guns and violence in the United States, and will likely continue to ignite passions for years to come. As often happens in the wake of such events, videogames have fallen back under the scowling gaze of those who believe them to be an instigator of violence in our society.

Speaking to a crowd of five hundred in San Fransisco on the subject of gun control, California Senator Dianne Feinstein leveled criticism at the game industry, suggesting that the government should consider taking action to reduce the presence of guns in videogames. According to Feinsten videogames play "a very negative role for young people, and the industry ought to note that. If Sandy Hook doesn't do it, if the knowledge of these videogames this young man played doesn't, then maybe we have to proceed, but that is in the future."

Feinstein is not the first government official following the events in Newton to push for new restrictions on videogames. In early February of 2013, State Representative Debralee Hovey introduced a bill to the state legislature that would have levied special taxes on violent videogames in the state of Connecticut. That same month, again in Connecticut, state senator Toni Harp pushed a motion to make it illegal for minors to play arcade games involving fake guns.

It's important to remember, of course, that videogames, thanks to the Supreme Court's decision in the 2011 Brown vs. EMA case, now enjoy the same first amendment protections as books, music and film. Even if a measure were passed by the government in an attempt to restrict the content of games, there would be tremendous legal precedent to help opponents strike it down.

While her suggestion is ridiculous. I do wish some game developers would scale back the focus on guns a bit.Tomb Raider for instance would in my opinion be an even better game if it wasn't so war focused.

If this doesn't prove just how backwards American politics is, nothing can.

A country should NOT be run by corporations. Biggest reason gun control is so hard to do is because gun manufacturers are leaning so hard on senators. So much that they think they can use video games as scapegoats. Capitalism FTW(!)

Aside form the obvious she know nothing about games knee jerk reaction, I might approve of this depending on how its done. If it only applies to firearms that mimic those found in real life game designer will have to be creative with all their weapons by law. Still a horrible idea but I might take it to end the rule of the realistic shooter.

your obsession with guns has caused this. You allow children to touch real guns, teach them how to shoot them and glorify it with your insane defense of the 2nd Ammendment.

Fake guns are not the problem. They are a safe way to live your gun obsession, without harming anyone. This does not teach anyone how to shoot a real gun. It does not make them violent sociopaths. It does not give them access to guns. It is just fiction.

If you want to reduce gun violence, don't do it by removing a harmless alternative. Think about why people get guns to begin with. Think about what causes people to be paranoid enough to want guns to begin with. I can tell you, it's not arcade boxes and video games.

It's a state full of idiots. A state with legislators focused on personal gain. A state with a justice system that is flawed from start to finish. A state that refuses to act in favor of its population in fear of "socialism" and "oppression". It's a state full of parents who act without thinking and hand their children items they should not have at all.

I don't disagree that you have taken far too long to fix this. It may well be impossible now. But don't stomp your feet like a child and pretend there is something else that is responsible, other than your own faults.

Take away the fake guns that should work! Instead let's give people more close combat weaponry so they can savagely beat each others skulls in. Why take away the real guns when you can pretend to do something by take away fake ones.

Now I don't think I have to point this out to Californian Clueless Corrupt Senator #302, but most countries with the same games have no guns or very strict gun laws. The same games that are released in America with the same guns are played here to by the same people.

In total we have had TWO, read again TOTAL and TWO, school shootings. The last being in 2004 and the other in 1999. I think that if we apply basic logic here and look at the variations between our two countries the answer is quite clear. Also maybe interesting to note any study into violence has concluded only one thing. That the availability of fire arms is a WORSE contributor to aggressive behaviour than videogames.

your obsession with guns has caused this. You allow children to touch real guns, teach them how to shoot them and glorify it with your insane defense of the 2nd Ammendment.

Fake guns are not the problem. They are a safe way to live your gun obsession, without harming anyone. This does not teach anyone how to shoot a real gun. It does not make them violent sociopaths. It does not give them access to guns. It is just fiction.

If you want to reduce gun violence, don't do it by removing a harmless alternative. Think about why people get guns to begin with. Think about what causes people to be paranoid enough to want guns to begin with. I can tell you, it's not arcade boxes and video games.

It's a state full of idiots. A state with legislators focused on personal gain. A state with a justice system that is flawed from start to finish. A state that refuses to act in favor of its population in fear of "socialism" and "oppression". It's a state full of parents who act without thinking and hand their children items they should not have at all.

I don't disagree that you have taken far too long to fix this. It may well be impossible now. But don't stomp your feet like a child and pretend there is something else that is responsible, other than your own faults.

Best Regards,Europe.

Well thanks for that because obviously all Americans share that opinion on guns. You would obviously know seeking as you live in Europe. Most people I know think the way we regulate guns is bullshit but in some places like the south guns are a big part of their culture. Its pretty big country Mr "Europe"

How ridiculous. If the public want virtual guns, then left them have virtual guns. That's capitalism, you can't tell the public what it wants. That's what the market is there for. You some kind of communist?

I love how the gaming community matured to the point where when Sandy Hook happened, we decided not to get all defensive and up in arms. At least not as much as we used to. We decided to let things take their course because these debates always end in our favor.

Then suddenly this stuff happens. And it actually looks like it's going in the direction of more game regulation for once.

People wonder why gamers get defensive. This is why, because if we don't it sounds like everyone is in favor of game regulation.

Jeez, cut down the hostility. I was generalizing. Neither the entirety of Europe, nor the entirety of the US fits what I described there. But if it wasn't the majority of people respectively, the world would look differently.

your obsession with guns has caused this. You allow children to touch real guns, teach them how to shoot them and glorify it with your insane defense of the 2nd Ammendment.

Fake guns are not the problem. They are a safe way to live your gun obsession, without harming anyone. This does not teach anyone how to shoot a real gun. It does not make them violent sociopaths. It does not give them access to guns. It is just fiction.

If you want to reduce gun violence, don't do it by removing a harmless alternative. Think about why people get guns to begin with. Think about what causes people to be paranoid enough to want guns to begin with. I can tell you, it's not arcade boxes and video games.

It's a state full of idiots. A state with legislators focused on personal gain. A state with a justice system that is flawed from start to finish. A state that refuses to act in favor of its population in fear of "socialism" and "oppression". It's a state full of parents who act without thinking and hand their children items they should not have at all.

I don't disagree that you have taken far too long to fix this. It may well be impossible now. But don't stomp your feet like a child and pretend there is something else that is responsible, other than your own faults.

Best Regards,Europe.

I don't think it is the gun obsession at all.

I'm not in favor of the "Govment dun take our guns hurr durr" bit everyone in my state is spewing, but the reason these shootings keep happening is far more complex than anyone seems to realize.

If I had to point at one thing and say 'That is the reason," personally put the focus on mental health and depression. After all, there is a proven link between depression and shootings.

But state of mental health in the eyes of the public is in such a poor state. People just ignore it or assume it doesn't exist and that it's all made up. But depression is a real thing and it is not the victim's fault.

To be honest, although I think this whole "Games are for kids only and thus should be filled with no controversial content whatsoever" is dumb as fuck, I wouldn't mind less games with guns since it would force the industry to develop new gameplay ideas without resorting to the old "mowing down waves of faceless mooks" approach to combat.

I'm not in favor of the "Govment dun take our guns hurr durr" bit everyone in my state is spewing, but the reason these shootings keep happening is far more complex than anyone seems to realize.

If I had to point at one thing and say 'That is the reason," personally put the focus on mental health and depression. After all, there is a proven link between depression and shootings.

But state of mental health in the eyes of the public is in such a poor state. People just ignore it or assume it doesn't exist and that it's all made up. But depression is a real thing and it is not the victim's fault.

Oh I fully agree. In fact, I don't think there's a specific one reason at all for people to consider actively shooting people.

But the situation throughout the US in general is definitely what makes it easily possible to actually happen. That's where I was going with that. :)

Jeez, cut down the hostility. I was generalizing. Neither the entirety of Europe, nor the entirety of the US fits what I described there. But if it wasn't the majority of people respectively, the world would look differently.

It felt like you were just talking down with your America vs Europe format. My B

But a majority of Americans aren't handing guns to their kids and teaching them how to shoot. Gun education involves more than that. There's nothing wrong with a father teaching his kid to use a gun to hunt or something. The problem comes with reckless parents who don't respect guns like that guy who gave an uzi to his kid and his kid shot himself in the head. I'd bet a lot less than half the people here have even used a gun. We can't just take guns away from people who can use them responsibly even if they are a minority. The amount of gun deaths in the US has been decreasing since 1996 but these shooters like the Connecticut shooter have been increasing so the problem isn't simple

Hagi:Is there some sort of conspiracy going on to make the states look as horrendously idiotic as possible?

Because seriously, this sort of thing seems to be a special case of stupid not found anywhere else...

holy shit, it's so obvious now!

a secret circle at the heart of government, one that has been in power ever since the founding of the United States, has finally given up on democracy.but in order to impose a new version of government without rebellion, they try to twist and break the system, letting the biggest idiots be heard, making people lose faith in their votes, until they can finally turn the whole place into some sort of dictatorship.

I hope for you guys that it's the "smart and reasonable" kind of dictator, not the kind that justifies your guns in the first place.

I'm not in favor of the "Govment dun take our guns hurr durr" bit everyone in my state is spewing, but the reason these shootings keep happening is far more complex than anyone seems to realize.

If I had to point at one thing and say 'That is the reason," personally put the focus on mental health and depression. After all, there is a proven link between depression and shootings.

But state of mental health in the eyes of the public is in such a poor state. People just ignore it or assume it doesn't exist and that it's all made up. But depression is a real thing and it is not the victim's fault.

Oh I fully agree. In fact, I don't think there's a specific one reason at all for people to consider actively shooting people.

But the situation throughout the US in general is definitely what makes it easily possible to actually happen. That's where I was going with that. :)

Because the Right goes out of it's way to prevent the government from enforcing the few gun laws we actually have. And of course banning assault rifles is just a slippery slope to tyrants disarming the populace. Seriously, Fuck the Second Amendment.

Jeez, cut down the hostility. I was generalizing. Neither the entirety of Europe, nor the entirety of the US fits what I described there. But if it wasn't the majority of people respectively, the world would look differently.

It felt like you were just talking down with your America vs Europe format. My B

But a majority of Americans aren't handing guns to their kids and teaching them how to shoot. Gun education involves more than that. There's nothing wrong with a father teaching his kid to use a gun to hunt or something. The problem comes with reckless parents who don't respect guns like that guy who gave an uzi to his kid and his kid shot himself in the head. I'd bet a lot less than half the people here have even used a gun. We can't just take guns away from people who can use them responsibly even if they are a minority. The amount of gun deaths in the US has been decreasing since 1996 but these shooters like the Connecticut shooter have been increasing so the problem isn't simple

I was trying to keep it as a sincere psycho-analysis thingy, rather than condescending, but that doesn't really work all that well when talking against a 5ft concrete wall.

I'm not in favor of the "Govment dun take our guns hurr durr" bit everyone in my state is spewing, but the reason these shootings keep happening is far more complex than anyone seems to realize.

If I had to point at one thing and say 'That is the reason," personally put the focus on mental health and depression. After all, there is a proven link between depression and shootings.

But state of mental health in the eyes of the public is in such a poor state. People just ignore it or assume it doesn't exist and that it's all made up. But depression is a real thing and it is not the victim's fault.